Archives for 07/17/2017

Visual Novels tend to have endings based on what character you choose to romance. Most obfuscate this path — it just sorta happens based on a series of arbitrary decisions made along the way — but we’re planning to make it a wee bit more obvious. You’re scoring relationship points that you can see, and eventually, you’ll be asked to pick who you want to focus on based on who you’re already hitting it off well with. (Probably narrowed down to top two or top three, to prevent someone being off by one point from a character they wanted to woo, but trust me — that’ll be an edge case.)

But… visual novels ALSO have hidden endings, based on characters you normally can’t woo. Typically you have to meet a MUCH more obscure set of criteria to unlock those paths… either clearing the game multiple times, or finding easter egg level hidden treats, etc. I’ve already got one hidden ending in the game, which is a bit less hidden (reject the main story completely and go get a different job) but I’m talking hidden romances, here.

We’ve got two characters that could be ripe for such endings: your childhood friend and your phone. …trust me, this makes sense in context. I’d love to include paths for them, but they don’t have relationship points in the traditional sense. So, there’s a couple ways to do this.

Purposefully avoid collecting relationship points, and end up with a minimum amount.

Have “Basically” be your most popular identity trait.

Have a handful (3-5) of moments where you choose to trust or encourage them.

Pick as many “Player is self-reliant” moments as possible, rather than calling for help.

I asked my Patrons to vote in a poll, and I won’t reveal the results juuust yet… but I’m still looking for feedback, so feel free to leave some in the comments below. Thanks!

Blog Archive

Important Legalese

WARNING: Any and all ideas offered in feedback to my creative works should be considered 'donated' to my work, surrendering copyright. This is the only way I can legally allow myself to read your comments without running the risk of lawsuits down the line. If you disagree with this policy, do not post to this blog!